Summary
Several factors have come together to makeBaldur’s Gate 3one of the highest-rated games of the year, but its diverse cast of companions have risen to become the true highlight of the title for many. Following up on the style of theDivinity Original Sintitles by developer Larian Studios,Baldur’s Gate 3has added an entirely new cinematic dimension to the classic CRPG formula.
While player choice is a major part ofBaldur’s Gate 3,and theDark Urge Originallows for some satisfying evil, the evil route doesn’t match up to what the good route offers. The drow companion Minthara reveals a larger issue with the consequences of choices within the game.
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Minthara and Baldur’s Gate 3’s Evil Content
A party member exclusive to players who go the evil route in Act 1, thedrow paladin Mintharais a psychotic foil to the druid Halsin that most players likely saved instead. Requiring the tragic slaughter of the residents of the Emerald Grove, the evil route of the early game is a disturbing example of following through with the player’s choices. Minthara will be impressed by the bloodshed and be available as a romance after the massacre, but like Halsin, she still can’t be properly recruited until the game’s next act.
Halsin is a character that follows through on his protector role and embodies the concept of good, but the development of Minthara doesn’t quite offer the same parallel. No matter how evil the player attempts to be with her, she will need to be rescued from the dungeons ofMoonrise Towersafter being betrayed by her superior Ketheric Thorm. Minthara may maintain her ambition for the most part afterward, but her arc seems to be more oriented towards a development into a less dark alignment in a sort of redemption story. She can be brought along to the end of an evil playthrough, but this requires losing more than most players would anticipate.
Choosing Minthara is a Major Sacrifice
Following her romance scene after the brutal killing of the Emerald Grove residents, Minthara hardly offers enough content to warrant picking her over Halsin in the long run. She offers nothing that can match the quest that involves the curing of the Shadow Curse through Thaniel, but there’s an even bigger reason most players are likely to avoid her.Companions Wyll and Karlachwill both be disgusted by the player’s actions if the Grove residents are killed, leaving both of their questlines completely locked from the game. As if this wasn’t enough loss in return for just one character, nearly all the tieflings that are killed in the attack are important NPCs with quests that stretch into the end of the game.
She may have initially had much less content than Halsin when the game first launched, but it was soon revealed thatMinthara had additional dialoguerelated to romancing her that was bugged to not appear within the game. Despite this extra bit of conversation, however, choosing to be with her still offers less than what is found in the more developed storylines of other companions. Karlach’s new ending alone is a more satisfying resolution than what Minthara brings to the narrative in the end, leaving some players questioning her value as a companion. A more fleshed out evil route actually equivalent to what is found through the less sinister companions could have made up for this, butBaldur’s Gate 3incentivizes players to walk a righteous path if they wish to see all the game has to offer.
Baldur’s Gate 3is available now for PC and PS5. Xbox Series X/S versions are in development.
